LifeWatch ERIC presents preliminary results of ENERGYTRAN at high-level meeting in Costa Rica

ENERGYTRAN Preliminary Results

San José, Costa Rica, 18 September 2025. LifeWatch ERIC participated in the High-Level Meeting on Energy Transition and Climate Sustainability, organised by the Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI) at the Consejo Nacional de Rectores (CONARE). The event brought together regional and international leaders, as well as representatives from international organisations, embassies, universities, research centres, and civil society, to forge strategic alliances for accelerating the energy transition across Ibero-America and Europe.

Representing LifeWatch ERIC, Maite Irazabal delivered a presentation on the preliminary results of the EULAC ENERGYTRAN project, highlighting its contributions to strengthening collaboration between Europe and Latin America. Among the results presented were advances in open science practices, the use of digital research infrastructures, and the development of analytical tools that support evidence-based decision-making in climate and energy policies. These outcomes illustrate how European Research Infrastructures are fostering interoperability, data access, and collaborative workflows to address global sustainability challenges.

The project is currently piloting innovative approaches, including analytical workflows for the energy transition, e-learning courses, and virtual collaboration platforms, all designed to improve the accessibility, quality, and usability of large-scale environmental and energy data.

“By fostering collaboration across regions, we are building a more sustainable and resilient knowledge ecosystem,” said Maite Irazabal during her presentation. “The ENERGYTRAN project is not only advancing science and innovation but also creating the conditions for more inclusive and impactful solutions to today’s environmental challenges.”

The participation of LifeWatch ERIC in this meeting marked another step towards reinforcing its long-term engagement with Latin America and the Caribbean, positioning open science and research infrastructures at the core of international cooperation for sustainability.

LifeWatch ERIC in Costa Rica with ENERGYTRAN: advancing sustainability, innovation and open science

Energytran - LifeWatch in Costa Rica

In September 2025, LifeWatch ERIC will play an active role in two major events in San José, Costa Rica, reaffirming its commitment to advancing sustainability, innovation, and open science, while strengthening international cooperation between Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean.

On September 18th, 2025, LifeWatch ERIC will participate in the High-Level Meeting on Energy Transition and Climate Sustainability, hosted at the Consejo Nacional de Rectores (CONARE). International experts will be presenting the preliminary results of the ENERGYTRAN project, which seeks to foster collaboration between Europe and Latin America to address shared challenges in the fields of energy transition and climate action.

The meeting will gather a wide range of high-level participants, including representatives of international cooperation organizations, national institutions, and academia, strengthening dialogue between Europe and Latin America on the pressing issues of climate sustainability and energy transition.

The programme will cover a diverse set of themes, from international cooperation in energy transition and sustainability, to the role of public institutions and academia, concluding with the presentation of preliminary results of the ENERGYTRAN project. LifeWatch ERIC, through Maite Irazabal, will contribute to this final block, showcasing the preliminary results of the project.

Following the High-Level Meeting, from 22 to 26 September 2025, LifeWatch ERIC will also take part in the E-learning Course: “Environmental Challenges and Open Science – an Approach from Innovation and Technology.” The course, organised in a hybrid format (in-person in Costa Rica and virtually via Zoom), will bring together researchers, research infrastructures professionals, public administration, civil society, and private sector actors from Europe and Latin America.

The programme, featuring speakers representing a wide range of prestigious institutions, will explore how open science can accelerate collaboration, knowledge sharing, and the development of sustainable solutions to pressing environmental challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and ecosystem degradation.

From LifeWatch ERIC, Julio Paneque will lead a session focused on open and FAIR science tools and use cases, presenting innovative approaches developed within the ENERGYTRAN project and beyond.

The hybrid design of the course, combining on-site sessions in Costa Rica with online participation ensures broad accessibility and inclusivity across regions, offering a valuable platform for dialogue between Europe and Latin America on the role of open science in addressing today’s most urgent environmental and societal challenges.

Through its contributions, LifeWatch ERIC reaffirms its mission to advance research and innovation for biodiversity, sustainability, and climate resilience, while fostering stronger transatlantic cooperation and the integration of open science practices.

For more information about the ENERGYTRAN project, please visit the official website: https://energytran.oei.int/

Environmental Challenges and Open Science: online course by ENERGYTRAN

Energytran Environmental Challenges and Open Science

As part of the EULAC-ENERGYTRAN project, we are excited to announce the launch of the pilot e-learning course “Environmental Challenges and Open Science”, which will take place from 22 to 26 September 2025 in  San José, Costa Rica.

This hybrid course will be delivered in Spanish with simultaneous interpretation into English and Portuguese, and is free of charge, offering a unique opportunity for participants to explore how open science practices can address global environmental issues, with a special focus on the Latin American and Caribbean context.

Location: In person, San José (Costa Rica) – 25 seats available. Online: 15 virtual seats.

Registration: by 15 August 2025 from this registration form.

For more information contact energytran@oei.int, download the course brochure here [Spanish], [English], [Portuguese], or read more here: https://www.campaign-index.com/view.php?J=iv7892t04fzb2djrGkjA10gfLSBA840oUpoOQCUrJE7rs&C=MPSlNSIgSS8OmvptUmZEiA

EULAC EnergyTRAN mobility event in Seville

EULAC ENERGYTRAN mobility event

On 20 May 2025, the second day of the EULAC EnergyTRAN mobility event took place at the Statutory Seat of LifeWatch ERIC, located in Plaza de España in Seville, Spain. This initiative is part of the EU-LAC cooperation framework, aiming to strengthen scientific collaboration between European and Latin American research infrastructures, particularly in the environmental and energy transition domains.

The second day gathered a diverse delegation of Latin American representatives, including members of: Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM), Argentina (Julian Asinsten, Martin del Castillo, Lilia Inés Stubrin, Valeria Arza, Martin Obaya, Emanuel López), Tecnológico de Aguascalientes, México (Adrian Bonilla-Petriciolet, Didilia Ileana Mendoza-Castillo), National High Technology Center (CeNAT), Costa Rica (Jazmín Calderón Quirós), and LifeWatch ERIC team members (Francisco Manuel Sánchez, Antonio José Sáenz, Joaquin López, Julio López Paneque, Iria Soto, Ana Mellado, Maite Irazábal).

Throughout the day, participants from Latin America had the opportunity to engage directly with LifeWatch ERIC members and explore the organisation’s technological, analytical, and data management services. Sessions included:

  • An overview of LifeWatch ERIC’s data management services and technological resources such as the Scientific Knowledge Graph, LifeBlock, and the MyLifeWatch platform;
  • Demonstrations of data loggers and sensor networks for environmental monitoring;
  • A detailed showcase of the collaborative research platform and analytical workflows developed within the EnergyTRAN project;
  • Insightful presentations on the long-term sustainability of LifeWatch ERIC tools and their application in other European projects, such as AGROSERV and Microbes4Climate.

These in-person meetings are precious opportunities to cultivate openness and constructive dialogue, ensuring long-term international cooperation.

The event concluded with an exchange of ideas for future collaborations and opportunities, which are vital to sustain and expand the EU-LAC research partnerships and respond to shared challenges across regions.

Strengthening Transatlantic Collaboration on Energy Transition

Energy Transition

19–20 May 2025 | Seville, Spain

On May 19th and 20th, LifeWatch ERIC and the Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture (OEI) will welcome a distinguished delegation of researchers and representatives from public institutions across Latin America and Europe to Seville, to strengthen transatlantic collaboration on environmental indicators for the energy transition within the framework of the EULAC ENERGYTRAN project’s mobility programme.

ENERGY TRAN has the objectives of co-designing analytical tools based on the FAIR principles to assess energy transition indicators, building capacity in the use of European research infrastructures, such as LifeWatch ERIC, to connect environmental and energy data.
Moreover, it will exchange best practices in data governance, public policy, and participatory approaches and strengthen collaboration networks between institutions in Europe and Latin America for future scientific and policy-oriented initiatives.

The initiative aims to strengthen institutional capacities and foster knowledge exchange between Europe and Latin America in support of a sustainable energy transition. Special attention will be given to the interoperability of data, the development of FAIR-based analytical tools, and the integration of biodiversity and sustainability indicators into energy policy frameworks.

Day one of the meeting, 19 May, will be held at the University of Seville’s Cultural Initiatives Centre (CICUS), while the second day LifeWatch ERIC headquarters, Plaza de España, will host the second day.

Confirmed participating institutions include:

  • Argentina:
    • Ministry of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation.
    • National University of San Martín (UNSAM)
  • Brazil:
    • Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation
  • Chile:
    • Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation (MinCiencia)
    • University of Magallanes (UMAG)
  • Colombia:
    • Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Minciencias)
  • Costa Rica:
    • Ministry of Science, Technology and Telecommunications (MICITT);
    • High Technology Center Foundation (FunCeNAT)
  • Mexico:
    • National Technological Institute of Mexico (TecNM)
  • Uruguay:
    • National Research and Innovation Agency ( ANII)
  • Spain:
    • Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities
    • National Statistics Institute (INE)
    • Renewables Foundation
    • Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI)
    • EU-SOLARIS ERIC
    • Network of Experts on Science and Technology Indicators (NESTI); a working party of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
  • Portugal
    • Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science (INESC TEC)
    • Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal (IPS)

This event exemplifies LifeWatch ERIC’s commitment to advancing open science, transatlantic collaboration, and data-driven sustainability.

We look forward to receiving all participants in seville and continue strengthening collaboration between LifeWatch ERIC and Latin America and European institutions.